Sound-producing device



Dec. 27, 1927. 1,654,500

L. J. GRUBMAN SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE Original Filed Jan. 12, 1925INVENTO/f ATT NEY Patented Dec. 27, 15327.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE,

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SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICE.

Griginal application filed January 12, 1925, Serial No. 1,826. Dividedand this application filed April 14,

This application a division of my pendingapplication for Patent SerialNo. 1,826, filed January 12, 1925.

This invention relates to sound producing devices or voices, and moreparticularly to adevice of that type wherein air is expelled under thepressure of a gravity movable member through a sounding reed, and inwhich means is provided for articulating the emission of the sound tosimulate the word ma-ma or other characteristic cry in accordance withthe particular toy figure in which the device is incorporated.

Generically considered, the essential feature of the present improvementresides in the provision of an articulating valve mem. her having aspherical surface adapted during the movement of the air expellingme1nber, to cooperate with the wall or": a sound escape opening orpassage and check or inipede the emission. of sound. therethrough.

It is another object of the invention to provide a concaved or cuppeddirecting surface leading to the sound escape opening and by which thevalve member is directed into cooperative relation with said opening.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theimproved sound producing device or VOlC6,'lllCi in the form,construction and relative arrangement of its several parts as will behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and subsequently incor porated in the subioined claims. v

In. the drawing, wherein I have illustrated one simple and practicalembodiment of the device, and in which similar reference charactersdesignate correspondingparts throughout the several views,, I

Fi ure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a sound producingdevice illustrating one practical construction thereof;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation with the casing cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1, and

,Fig. at is a detail. sectional View taken on the line l4: of Fig. 1.

For purposes of illustration, I have shown my present improvements asapplied to a familiar type of voice device wherein theair receiving andcompression chamber is en- OlOSEd within a suitable housing or casing.ilhis casing may be otcylindrical or other Serial No. 101,898.

sionchamber is in the form. of a collapsible bellows having afiexiblecylindrical body poll 8 suitably fixed at one of its ends to oneend of the casing wall Sand having its other end edge suitably attachedto a weighty air compressing and expelling member generally indicated atOne wall of the outer casing, preferably the closure head :7 there of isprovided with a plurality of suitably arranged sound emission openingslOtherein.

As herein shown, the bellowshead 9 is in the form of a disc having anannular flange 11 at itsouter. edge providing a recess as at 12 in oneside of said disc, which receives one end edge otthe flexible bellowswall. A sheet metal plate 13 closes the open sideof this recess and isprovided at its periphery with a reversely bent flange 14 adapted to fitwithin the end of the cylindrical bellows wall andv tightly clamp theedge thereof til) against the angular surfaces of the recess 12. 4

This metal plate 13at one side of its center is suitably stamped toprovide a rigid chan net 15 open atone off its ends and at the innerside ,thereoifopposed to the bellows chamber. A vibratory soundproducing element 16 fixed to said plate and positioned over this inneropen end of said channel. The space between the plate 13 and the bodywall of the member 9 provides a sound re ceiving chamber 17. The member9 is centrally formed with a short boss 18 against the end edge otwhichthe plate 13 is engaged, said boss being provided with one or more soundpassages 19. The member 9 is further provided centrally thereof with arelatively long extension 20 projecting from its opposite side, the endof said extension being reduced in diameter and having suitably fixedthereon a disc 21 provided with aplurality of apertures 22 therein, The

boss'18. and extension 20 are provided with anaxially extending bore 23,said bore at the end ottthe extension 20 having a tapering or contractedsection 24 connected with a cylindrically reduced section 25. The sound.emission orifice 26 communicates with the outer end of the bore section25.

lVithin the inner end of the bore 23 and in spaced relation to the plate13, a plug 27 is snugly fitted, said plug having a central opening 27therethrough tapering or flared at its opposite ends as at 28 to theperiphery of said plug. These tapered or flared ends of the plug provideconcave or cup shaped directing surfaces leading to the sound escapeopening or'passage 27 of said plug. Between this plug and the reducedend of the bore 23 a cruciform member 29 is arranged, the outer edges ofthe webs or flanges of said member having snug frictional contact withhe wall of said bore. The upper and lower edges of these webs or flangesare reversely inclined as at 30 so that said webs gradually decrease inwidth from the inner ends to the outer ends thereof. A free gravitymovable valve member 31 is arranged within the bore 23 and cont-rols thevolume of the sound emitted through the orifice '26. This member, asherein shown, is preferably in the form of a ball having a sphericalsurface of such diameter that itmay pass between the flanges or webs ofthe member 29 and also through the opening 27 in the member 27 butcannot move through the passages 19 or through the orifice 261 In theoperation of the device as above described, when it is arranged in oneposition to cause the expansion of the bellows and the inflation of theair chamber, the valve member 31 is seated over the inner end or" theorifice26 and closes the same, except when it may be momentarilydisplaced by the ingress of air therethrough to the bellows chamber.When the device is reversed to the position shown in Fig. 1, the gravitydescent of the member 9 expels air under pressure through the soundingreed and the valve member 31 at the same time moves downwardly bygravity. It will be noted that the section 25 of the bore or passage isof such diameter relative to the Valve ball that sound may escape inrestricted volume past said ball and through the orifice 26 to simulatethe initial letter m of the syllable ma. After the ball leaves thesection 25 of said passage it strikes upon the upper end of thecruciform member 29 and drops downwardly between the spaced webs orflanges thereof. In this movement of the ball the sound may pass ingreater volume through said passage and the orifice 26 to simulate thesound of the letter a which completes the first syllable, ma. In thecontinued downward movement of the ball, it is directed by one of theconcaved surfaces 28 to the sound opening or passage 27". The expulsionof air under pressure from the bellows chamber through this smalldiameter passage acting upon the ball, to a certain extent overcomes theact1on o1 gravlty and retards its downward movement through saidpassage. During this part of the movement of the valve ball, sound againescapes inrelatively restricted volume between the spherical surface ofthe ball and the null oi the passage 27 and is finally emitted throughthe orifice 26 to again simulate the sound of the letter in. When theball falls through the passage 28 and reaches a position oi rest on theplate 13, sound may then pass in maximum volume from the chamber 16through passages 19 and passage 27 to the orifice 26, again sounding thelet ter a and completing the simulation of the second syllable ma. stoodof course. that in the construction of such a device, the weight of themember 9 and parts connected therewith is accurately determined withrelation to the weight of the valve ball 31 so that the pressure of theexpelled volume of air and its retarding ctlfect upon the gravitymovement of the bail in addition. to the members 27 and 29 which alsointerrupt and retard such movement, will produce the desired timerelation between the simulated articulation of the'word syllables. Inthe descent of the member 9, air within the casing exterior of thebellows chamber, may pass freely through the openings 22 oi the disc 21to avoid any cushioning ellcct by said disc and to cooperate with thewall oi the housing or casing and prevent any substantial lateraltilting of the member 9; v

From the "foregoing description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction, and manner of operation of theherein described embodiment of my present improvements will be clearlyunderstood. It will be seen that I have provided an inmrovement offundaf mental character in devices or" this character in that the soundemission controlling valve member has a spherical iriace and means isprovided for directing and positioning such a valve member with respectto a sound'emission opening or passage through which the sound waves areexpelled under pressure and against the spherical surface of said valvemember. By providing the valve member with such a sphericalsurface, thecounteracting pressure upon said valve member tending to displace thesame relative to the wall of the sound escape opening or passage ;isequally distributed, and the emission of the sound past said valvemember'will therefore, besubstantially uniform during the operation ofthe device. I have herein disclosed a physical"embodiment of theessential feature of the present improvements which may be readilyproduced in commer cial form, but it is contemplated that similarresults might also be obtained in'various other alternative structures.Accordingly, it is to be understood that I do not desire to be limitedto the specific construction It will be underherein disclosed, butreserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate modificationsthereof as may be fairly incorporated within the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

1 claim:

1. In a sound producing device, a sounding reed, a movable member havinga pas sage in communication with the reed at one of its ends and havinga sound outlet at its other end, said member upon movement in onedirection causing a flow of air through said reed and the passage, avalve member movable through said passage, and said member beingprovided with relatively fixed means at one end of said passage fordirecting said valve member from a non-obstructing position intocooperative relation with a wall of said passage to impede the emissionof the sound therethrough.

2. In a sound producing device, a sounding reed, a movable member havinga sound emission passage'in communication with the reed at one of itsends, said member upon movement in one direction oausinga flow of I a1rthrough said reed and the passage, a

valve member carried by said movable member and having uninterruptedmovement relative to the latter during the operative movement thereofinto cooperative relation wit-h said sound emission passage to impedethe emission of sound therethrough, and ad ditional means carried bysaid movable member for directingthe valve member from a non-obstructingposition into such cooperative emission impeding relation to saidpassage.

3. In a sound producing device, an air chamber having an outlet passage,a sound producing reed, a weighty gravity movable member for expellingair under pressure from said chamber through the reed and said passage,said member having a part provided with an opening in communication withsaid passage and a'concaved directing surface leading to said opening,and means for articulating the emission of sound through said passagecomprising a valve member having a convex surface to engage upon and bedirected by said concave surface into cooperative relation with saidopening to impede the passage of sound therethrough.

t. In a sound producing device, an air chamber having an outlet passage,a sound producing reed and means for expelling air under pressure fromsaid chamber'through thereed and said outlet passage, and means forarticulating the emission of the sound comprising a valve member movableby gravity in said passage independently of the air expelling means, andmeans arranged in said passage with which said valve member cooperateswhereby gravity movement of said member is retarded and the emission ofthe'sound restricted at spaced intervals in the operation of the airexpelling means.

5.In a Sound producing device, an air chamber and a weighty gravitymovable member for expelling air from said chamber, said member havingan air outlet passage, a sound producing reed through which the air isexpelled from said chamber through said passage, and means forarticulating the sound comprising a valve member movable by gravity insaid passageindependently of the air expelling member, and spaced meansin said passage for re tarding the gravity movement of the valve member,one of said means cooperating with the valve member to restrict theegress of sound through said. passage.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name hereto.

LEO J. GRUBMAN.

